Snowshill Manor and Garden

About the museum

Snowshill Manor is a Cotswold manor house near Broadway whose earliest surviving parts date from around the middle of the 16th century. The estate had belonged to Winchcombe Abbey until Henry VIII took it at the Dissolution, and it later passed through absentee owners who let it to tenant farmers. Rooms were added in the 17th century and again in the early 18th century.

In 1919 the architect, craftsman and collector Charles Paget Wade bought the run-down house and restored it, using it as a stage for his passions. Together with the Arts and Crafts architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott he laid out the garden in the early 1920s as a series of outdoor rooms. Wade lived in the neighbouring Priest's House while the manor filled with his collection, which grew to some 22,000 objects and was guided by the motto of letting nothing perish. In 1951 he gave the house, the garden and the collection to the National Trust.

The collection reflects Wade's love of anything handmade and skilfully crafted. It ranges from musical instruments, clocks, toys and bicycles to Japanese samurai armour and costume. Outside, the garden has terraces, ponds and orchards, and Wade's own miniature seaside village, Wolf's Cove, which he designed and built for visitors to enjoy. The manor is lit and arranged as a deliberately theatrical experience.

Highlights

• Charles Wade's collection of crafted objects, from clocks and toys to Japanese armour
• Arts and Crafts garden laid out as a series of outdoor rooms
• Wolf's Cove, a model harbour village built by Wade
• The Priest's House where Wade lived
• Orchards and wildflower meadow

Permanent exhibitions

• The Manor – Charles Wade's curated house of crafted objects, from mechanical doorbells and clocks to suits of armour and costume.
• Wolf's Cove – A model harbour village based on a Cornish fishing village, with buildings, figures, canals and a railway scene that Wade built for his visitors.

Founded

1951

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

The prices shown are the winter prices valid from 2 November, without Gift Aid. Until 1 November the admission price for the manor and garden is higher: adult 18 pounds, child 9 pounds, family 45 pounds and one-adult family 27 pounds. Gift Aid adds about 10 per cent as an optional donation. Entry is free for National Trust members.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There are designated disabled parking spaces in the main car park next to visitor reception, and an accessible toilet near reception and the café. The manor is reached by a tarmac path with a slope, and the garden is a hilly walk of about 500 yards from reception. Volunteers run a passenger buggy between the café and the manor. Wheelchairs can be borrowed, a manor guide is available in braille and large print, and there is an induction loop at reception. Steps, uneven ground and narrow corridors should be expected, and a sensory map and a full access guide are available online. Visitors should check the current access notice for the manor before they come.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The property offers seasonal trails and activities, Garden Explorer notebooks and the Wolf's Cove model village, and there is a family ticket.

Getting there & parking

Head for Broadway and follow the signposts from the A44, then take Church Street from the village green for 2½ miles. Satnavs direct drivers to the centre of Snowshill village, so follow the brown signs to the visitor car park. What3words for the car park: ///newly.sourcing.rezoning. The property is just off the Cotswold Way, ¾ mile down the hill, and there are bike racks at reception.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The café has indoor and outdoor seating with views and serves drinks, cakes and light lunches. There is a shop with souvenirs, homeware, books and local food, a plant shop and a second-hand bookshop whose sales help to pay for conservation. Six electric vehicle charging points are in the car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit